How to say I love you
by icycoolcatz
Summary: This will be a collection of unrelated drabbles based off of @trash-by-vouge how to say I love you. There might be some AU's in here. Expect lots of fluff and stuff, also Book!Howl is more dramatic (if its possible) than Movie!Howl so this will mostly be Book!Verse. Yay! (・3・)
1. As a hello

As a hello

Howl peered out the windows of their flower shop and onto the streets of Market Chipping. It was rare for him to watch the shop alone, but Michael was out with Margaret and they were running low on eggs so Sophie had popped off to get some.

"I'll just be a bit." she had assured him as she shed her apron and tossed over his head, "Quicker than a fox."

"With the attitude to match." Howl had said, his voice slightly muffled by the apron as he pulled it off.

Sophie snorted in what Howl assumed was a loving way. Then she was gone, basket swinging under her arm, as she disappeared into Market Chipping.

That had been over ten whole minutes ago. No one seemed to want flowers today. People did look into the shop but upon seeing Howl, quickly went on their way not wanting to buy more flowers then they needed.

So Howl was left to stare lonesomely at the letters "Jenkins Flower Shoppe" that were printed neatly on the door. He groaned and flopped his top half onto the counter.

"I'm so dreadfully bored. I will die of boredom, and when Sophie gets back, if she ever does, she shall find me, naught but bones." he capped off his speech with a dramatic sigh.

He looked at the vase of roses next to his face.

"I'm bored." he told them.

Then he squished his face into the counter, "So bored." he told the counter.

Then he looked forward, at the door and its letters, "Yes so very bored." he told the door.

Then he stood quickly and raised his hands to the ceiling, "So very bored that I'll die!" he cried towards the hidden sky.

He had stood so fast that he suddenly found himself with a horrible head rush. Black and yellow spots swam in front of his eyes, and he had to grip the shelf behind him to keep upright. He swung his head dizzily around to come eye to eye with his own warped, blurry reflection in a vase of lilies.

"It's true," he said even though his vision had begun to clear "I am dying."

He released the the shelf and let himself crumple to the floor.

"Death by boredom." he told the lint under the counter, "a fitting end for a cowardly wizard."

"Howl," he squeaked from the corner of his mouth, mimicking the voice of the lilies above him, "don't you have any regrets?"

"Just...one." Howl coughed for dramatic effect.

"What is it?" he said in the deep husk of the roses.

Howl stopped and actually pondered this question that he - er the roses had proposed to him.

"I never...hm... I.. never have actually said I love you to Sophie." he announced to the flowers. Then he coughed again, and he raised a shaking hand skyward, his breath ragged.

"Sophie." he gasped and then went limp, his hand fell to the floor with a dramatic "whump".

"Nooo!" cried the lilies above him.

"He was a good man." the roses grunted, as they held back tears.

Then the flowers fell silent, and Howl lay there staring at the dirty space under the counter. He considered what he had said. He truly had never said I love you to Sophie. They had been together for several months, it should have been said by now. But as per usual he was too cowardly. He had been waiting for Sophie to say it first but she had also dodged the sentence. He traced little circles in the dust with his finger.

He heard the front bell jingle and Sophie call out "Howl?"

"Sophie!" he shot up from behind the counter, "I love you!"

If Sophie had been surprised by his sudden appearance it was nothing compared to the surprise she felt on hearing him say that.

But even that surprise was put to shame by Howl's expression. He was beet red then white, then red again. He stumbled backwards as a second bout of headrush hit him.

Sophie got over her surprise quickly and placed the basket of eggs on the counter.

"Hello to you too Howl." she smiled.

If it was possible he went even more red. He stuttered for a second then fled out the back door to the house. Sophie heard several loud bangs and Calcifer shouting .

"What a drama queen." she told the roses.

"You have no idea." they replied gruffly.

(AN: Did you like it? I recently read the book and if it's possible Howl is even more dramatic then he is in the book. Also he doesn't turn into a bird man in the book. ಠ_ಠ i don't get it. Also no the flowers don't actually speak Sophie and Howl are just pretending. Dorks.)


	2. With a hoarse voice under the covers

(AN: this one is a little darker then the last one and it won't be the last one that's kinda dark. Don't worry it will be fluff as much as possible.)

With a hoarse voice under the covers.

Ever since Sophie Hatter had been staying with the wizard Howl, her dreams had become more and more vivid. Everyday she would say goodnight to Howl and Michael and climb into bed happy and excited for the next day.

Today however. Today was different.

Today Sophie had a terrible dream. She was standing in the flower fields, or what was left of them. There were huge pockets in the land, the earth looked like it had been gouged out by a giant's shovel. Scorch marks painted the land black like ink from a well.

Sophie turned; half sunk into the black marsh was a huge metal ship. Its hull had been dented and torn like paper. Bodies of the soldiers who manned it floated in the water around it.

Horrorstuck, Sophie fled up the hill but what she saw there was even worse. The castle was on its side, mostly just a pile of crumbling brick and twisted steel. She raced toward the wreckage but was slowed by the mushy ground. Her foot caught or something and she fell face first into the black mud.

She looked back and was shocked to see that she hadn't tripped. She and been grabbed by a figure covered in black gunk. She couldn't see any distinguishing features but she knew it was Howl.

"Sophiee..." he rasped.

She screamed in panic and tried to kick away.

He began to crawl over her, oozing mud and blood onto her dress.

"Sophiee..." he sounded so far away but his face was only inches from hers. "Wake up.."

"Howl! Please, I'm scared!" She shrieked.

"Sophie!" he shouted.

"Aah!" Sophie cried, as she sat up suddenly.

CRACK.

Her head slammed into Howl's as he was leaning over her, concerned.

"Ow!" they both scrambled back, Sophie because of fear and Howl because he was sure Sophie had just broke his nose.

"Sophie, are you ok?" He reached toward her.

Sophie whimpered in fear and pushed back. In the dark of the room she was thought she was still dreaming.

"Sophie?" Howl sounded hurt.

"Whats going on?" came a third voice. There was a light, flick sound and the room was illuminated in soft yellow light.

Michael stood in the doorway, Howl was kneeling next to Sophie holding his nose, and Sophie lay gasping a look of horror on her face.

"Are you ok Sophie?" they asked in unison. Sophie sat up and blinked a few times to clear the last traces of her nightmare from her head.

"Y-yeah," she stammered, "just a nightmare."

Howls brow was knit together. He removed his hand from his nose and gently caressed her hair.

"You're really pale." he fretted, "What happened?"

But Sophie pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face into them. Howl sat back and gave her some room. She heard Howl and Michael talking but she didn't listen. She couldn't shake the image of Howl's corpse crawling up her stomach. She could still feel his bony rotting hands holding her down, could still smell his rank breath on her cheek, could still hear that horrible rasping cry,

"Sophie." Howl said.

She looked up, he was holding a tray with some steamed milk, and a couple of sugary pastries.

"Have you calmed down some?" he asked as he set the tray next to her.

"Yeah." Sophie took the milk and held it close, its warmth seemed to bring her back down to earth some.

Howl reached forward and pressed his hand to her forehead. He pursed his lips slightly.

"You have a slight fever." he noted, "It must have been some nightmare, you were screaming so loud I thought you were being murdered." He chewed his lip as he lowered his hand.

Sophie felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"Is your fever getting worse?" Howl reached toward her but she pulled back.

"No, its... I," Sophie sighed "I saw you, but you weren't really you, I think..." She tried to explain.

Howl seemed surprised that this nightmare had revolved around him, but he crawled onto the bed and gestured for her to continue.

"I don't know!" she groaned "You were like a corpse and you tried to drag me down into the mud with you. And it was so scary," she sniffed and swiped her hand across her eyes "It was like I was seeing the future."

Even though Howl didn't have much context, he nodded like he understood. He reached out and took her hand. "Sophie, that's just a dream. Thats not me, and it's not going to happen, dont worry."

She looked at him. The corpse Howl melted away. This Howl had plump cheeks and lively eyes, a comforting smile was on his lips.

"Drink you milk, and get some rest, I won't have you being ill tomorrow."

Sophie smiled back and slurped on her milk, but choked at the flavor. It was horribly bitter.

"Oh yeah, I had Michael put some anti nightmare mix in your milk. It might make it a little bitter." Howl scratched the back of his head, and reached for one of the pastries. But Sophie snatched it out from under his hand.

Howl gasped, "You little thief!"

Sophie sniggered and hid under the covers.

"Hey! Don't hide." she felt him grab at her. She stuffed the pastry into her mouth.

"Too late." she said around the sweet roll.

"Ugh." Howl groaned, "That was my favorite one."

Sophie heard him munching on one of the other sweets. She sipped on her milk again without thinking, but with the sweet flavor in her mouth it didn't taste so bad. Suddenly she realized that Howl must have gotten the pastries to help with that.

Perhaps it was the milk but she felt her chest getting warmer. She felt rather calm and sleepy.

"Hey Howl?" she said.

"Yeah?" he said, still sounding slightly angry.

"I love you," she said her voice muffled by the blanket over her.

"I love you too." he hummed as he kissed the top of her head.

 _It really was just a dream._ Sophie thought, _Because I've never felt more bliss._


End file.
